The Whole Alphabet
by TheBadPanda
Summary: L is dead. Who knew three words could have such consequences? But the ramifications are all on Kira's head, for he now has a whole alphabet of geniuses onto him. Some will not be involved, some will work from the shadows, and some will be closer than you think. A series of one-shots of various Wammy House prodigies.
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys, hope you all had a great Easter.

This is a story I have been toying with for a little while.

As in the description, it is a series of short one-shots of various members of Wammy's House who were bestowed a letter, and their reactions to L's death. Some members will be canon, others will not. Some might impact the story, others will not. I hope you'll go along with it.

That in mind I think it's best to begin with the when the news first broke out. Meet 'r' – Mr. Roger Ruvie, the manager of Wammy's House.

Review and PM as always!

r

'L is dead.'

Oh dear, oh dear, that is not good. That is not good at all.

Three words were all it took to bring reality crashing down on me. I thought L would outlive all of us.

It is such an unmitigated disaster to lose the pride of Wammy's House so young. But then again I suppose, if he had to go, there would have been no better way. Dying in the line of duty solving some difficult case, not sitting in some forgotten corner of a house, old, _rotting_ away.

Yeah, I can imagine L would have preferred it that way.

But the implication behind the message is worse: Quillsh is dead too.

Quillsh Wammy was my compatriot and closest friend for fifty years. He was best man at my wedding for Christ's sake! I have a son who shares his name….

And now he's gone.

I know what I want to do, and I know what I have to do. However, both are mutually exclusive.

I want to take the first flight to Japan, and beat to death every single person who had even the barest link to the Kira Case. It would probably work too, I knew from the last correspondence I received from Quillsh they were very close to capturing Kira.

But I am old, and rage is a young man's game. Besides, Quillsh would not arrange for this text if that was what he expected of me.

What I have to do, rather, is ensure the safety of Wammy's House and those who reside under it. It was standard strategy, if the opponent has you on the ropes, toss out the rulebook. Destroy Wammy's records and eliminate its links to the outside world.

I always hoped this job was temporary; dealing with children who can run mental circles around you is taxing. However, it seems that this place; Quillsh's legacy, has been completely passed into my care. Now I have to ensure his faith in me was not misplaced.

But this creates the problem, if L is dead and so too is Quillish…then who the hell is operating out of Japan?

Kira?…I don't know. That is beyond my knowledge. But it is not my problem anyway, I have a house full of children, both smart and smartass, who can solve that to their hearts content.

But how much does this fake 'L' know? Probably not much…but if Kira did get to him and the failsafe did not kick in…if Quillsh was just a little too slow with deleting all the information… I will have to warn all those who have been raised here.

Gazing at the safe beside me, and the contact details of the Wammy prodigies that lay inside, I felt concerned. Some of the people in those files have not been contacted in years…decades even. How will they react when they find out the best of their generation has died? Will they help, hinder or neither?

Despite the circumstances I feel a slight pang of sympathy for Kira, or whomever killed L.

L was the best of us, not just in intellect but in spirit, he was the focus of all the young ones in my care. He was more than a just a man, he was an ideal; one that every single one of the Wammy prodigies, both young and old, strived to match.

And now Kira took that away from them.

Kira may have killed L, but so what? All Kira has done is awaken a sleeping dragon. Now Kira has a whole alphabet of geniuses onto him.

And speaking of geniuses, I'll have to speak to Mihael and Nate. They are young and reckless, especially Mihael, but I would foolish to deny their intellect. And they _are_ L's chosen successors.

But after that, I think it would be best I make a few calls, let L's fellow 'letters' share in this knowledge.

We'll see what happens…

0o0o0o

A/N - There you go guys &amp; gals. I hope you liked. TTFN.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone here is the latest chapter.

I hope you like it.

I should mention that I wrote this story because I believe that in an awfully complicated plot like Death Note, there are bound to be loopholes.

Not even L or Kira can take into account everything. I have always believed that if Kira was that smart, he would have simply found Wammy's House and made everyone take a dirt nap. For this reason I believe there were more players involved in the shadows than were ever shown in Death Note.

That being said I think it is time you met 'C'.

Review and PM as always!

C

'L is dead.'

Well that just _complicates_ things.

I wanted to rush back to Wammy's House, but what would I do once I got their? Cry?

No. Now was not the time for rash actions. Mr Ruvie called me for a reason, and that reason was clear.

I hung up the phone and settled into my chair located at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, affectionately known as the 'Tax Man' for the uninitiated.

I started working for this Her Majesty's government the moment I was of age. I ascended the ranks, only to suddenly stop in the position I am currently in.

It was not that I fell out of favour or I am too slack for advancement, it comes down to being indispensable. Have you ever heard of the phrase 'be more than good, be indispensable'?

Well that is a double edged sword, because if you are too good at something, they cannot afford to put you anywhere else. What I am good at is simple: I follow money. Money that Her Majesty's government has not taxed. I can find it no matter where it is hidden and I will grab a slice of it, tax loophole be dammed.

I once hauled a man into court once for tax avoidance, turned to be a hitman for the Russian mob. It didn't matter, the government wanted its slice.

That's the funny thing about making money: you can kill a man, you can be the largest drug lord in the world, and you could have been the architect of countless massacres: we don't care, so long as the Tax Man gets its cut.

Do you know what I love about working with the Tax Man? People think it's boring.

No one thinks, 'Revenue and Customs, that's so _cool_'!

But that is the funny thing, if you asked the regular man on the street what the most powerful organisations in any government were, they will always say one of two things: military or intelligence agencies.

No one ever thinks about the Tax Man. Of course not, we're just the bad guys who are trying to take your hard earned money and allowing the rich get richer. All this, because politicians want to have affairs in more lavish hotel rooms.

But you know what is _cool_? We know everything about everyone, everywhere. We have to, we are the government's loan sharks after all. We would be a pretty poor debt collectors if we could not find you, and knew nothing about our latest shakedown.

So we have a rather hefty series of files on every human being that has set foot on our shores. Anything that has ever made money or lost money is carefully recorded and stored.

As a general rule, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, or indeed any country's revenue collection agency, has the largest stockpile of information in the nation.

It is not uncommon for certain intelligence agencies which may or may not exist to call us asking for a certain file on a certain individual from time to time. It's more convenient that doing the research yourself. Half the time we are the only ones who keep records for anything or anyone.

So if a certain orphanage in Winchester, England happened to lose its tax returns and mysteriously vanish from our system…well that would make things complicated.

If several people, their national insurance numbers and everything about them were to disappear for no reason whatsoever. Well that would make things very difficult if anyone wanted to find them.

Crazy, huh?

But then again it is a crazy world, and while it may not be my duty, I feel compelled to ensure certain information is never found again. Because information is knowledge, and knowledge is power; whoever holds the power…they're in charge.

I don't know who is in charge, but it is not the people in Japan. Not if I can help it.

Because I'm a man who _cares_.

0o0o0o

A/N – Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone.

Here is another chapter. I hope you like it.

Review and PM as always!

B

'L is dead.'

Oh it must be my _birthday_.

I don't what I was expecting when I checked my message service. But this…this is terrific news.

That prick has been a thorn in my side for years.

I come up with a plan, he solves it.

I create something beautiful, he breaks it.

I try and have some fun, he ruins it.

He is my killjoy, my anti-muse.

Now he is dead. That means I can play all day and night.

I wonder who would left to take his mantle. Near most likely. I'm rooting for Mello; he was never one for the side of angles, deep down he is just a _bastard_. Like me.

I wish I could talk to him. Encourage him to cross onto my side of the street but alas I am living incognito in a place unknown to all but a few. After all the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convince the world he did not exist. The world thinks I am dead and that is how I want to keep it.

I remember like it was yesterday.

I was sitting in prison, laughing oh so much. The plan was executed _perfectly_.

I was sitting in a pool of gasoline ready to end my life with a flick of a match, then all of a sudden a woman with skin as soft as silk showed up and hit me with the butt of her pistol. My only regret was that I could not take her down with me.

When I woke up, I was in chains waiting for a trail with an inevitable outcome. The courts had sweet fuck all. But with L as a witness, well I might as well have blogged my murders for all to see.

But you see, I had more in store. Because I had an ace up my sleeve, one that L did not know about at the time. I had Kira; the phantom that haunted all criminals.

People were dropping like flies. I could not believe my luck, when I found out about this. I had to think, not like L, but as myself. What kind of organisation could pull this off without anything to show for it? No one. Organisations have whistle blowers and paperwork. This was the work of something else…or someone.

One guy pulling this off seemed impossible, but it was the only logical conclusion. There was no evidence as to who it was, but I know a man did this.

It was ridiculously simple; of course I guy would cause heart attacks on mass. Men have god complexes, women do not. Women have more passion in their bite, but Kira….Kira was just a guy executing people with about as much enthusiasm as an accountant mulling over figures, only caring about the bottom line. _How many did I kill?_ He cared only about numbers, not about execution or anything else.

Money was not exchanged in any way I could see so that ruled out assassination. He was killing criminals or suspected criminals in droves, so that meant he was an idealist. The distance between deaths indicated someone with a new method that is capable of reaching across a world instantaneously. Most importantly he was just boring, the method of killing was just so obvious. He could not even be bothered doing his own research, he was just clicking up and down the internet. That is why underage criminals have been spared his wrath, he can't find them.

But he can find me; he has my face and he has my name.

But did he really?

I can't change my face…well I can but that sounds expensive. But Rue Ryuzaki is just a name. A name only proven by a birth certificate and driver's licence. You would be surprised what can be done my email.

Some people are so gullible. (cough) L (cough).

So after my third day of sitting in my cell eating what I presumed was oatmeal (prison food sucks for those who don't know) when I decided to ask Kira for a little help.

Do you know how easy it is to simulate a heart attack?

All you need is to follow Paddy Mitchell. Simply soaking an entire pack of cigarettes in water overnight and then drinking the resulting liquid nicotine sludge.

Boom. Done.

No one was looking that closely, people were dying in prison so quickly they had the morticians working 24 hours shifts. A couple of bucks (and a veiled threat his family would suffer an unexpected death by skinning) to the prison doctor, a quick injection and I am on my way to vacation while Rue Ryuzaki is on the way to the furnace.

Now here I am sipping strawberry martini's on a beach, enjoying some R&amp;R. It was then I realised that I don't want to be L, because I have beaten him at his own game. And you know the saying, quitting while you are ahead is not necessarily quitting.

It's good to be king.

But ever since I have had that itch, the one that begs me to go back in business. But no, I had to wait. Wait for the one person who could take me down to meet his maker.

And now he has. And with L down for the count, most of the other letters will be so distracted that the disappearance of the odd person or two would go unnoticed. Failing that…it's Kira's fault.

Oh I can feel the muscles waking up once again. My eyes once again are on the prowl, their numbers are slowly ticking down and I am looking forward to every second of it.

Bye-Bye!

0o0o0o

A/N – Dun. Dun. Dun! Yep, that was Beyond Birthday. I hope you were surprised.


	4. Chapter 4

Q

'L is dead.'

Not a phrase I expected to hear. But I heard it.

I hung up the phone, my mind spinning in confusion. It was nice that Mr Ruvie bothered to call me, but it would been even more pleasant if he tried to make a little small talk. 'Hi, how are you?' would not be out of line. Then again calling Brazil from Britain in itself means he was not in the mood for chit chat. Besides I have a distinct feeling I am not the only one whom he has called and whom will be called to share this turn of events.

L was always the best of us. But that boy, was not careful enough. He was smart, intelligent and most of all quick on his feet. But he was lazy. He rushed in when others would pause to reflect. He just looked ahead and ignored everything else.

He never asked _questions_.

I ask questions.

What? Who? Where? When? Why? How?

These questions must be answered but apparently I have been forbidden to seek the answers. The Kira Case, the case the broke the 'World's Greatest Detective' has been assigned to Near. Which meant Mello was never far behind.

Near and Mello, they don't care. They never did. All they care about is the game. They look at a Rubik's Cube and they just solve it. But they don't ask why the Rubik's Cube is there in the first place, or why it has be solved.

I suppose it is just how my mind works. Computers, technology, they are all based on foundations. All based on a why. Maybe that is why I never really got along with the other Wammy prodigies, I think about things that they don't.

Probably why I do so well as a forensic computer expert and systems engineer. All of the Wammy 'prodigies' have their own style and design, we have similarities, but our paths skewer in different directions. Mello and Near would never work together, not in a thousand years. I would never work with H or T.

I was less focused in solving the problem and more on preventing the problem all together. No problem, no need for a solution. No need for questions.

And L's death is a very, very big problem.

I doubt I am the first and I doubt I will be the last. But time is of the essence.

Think, think. Remember what you were taught….

What? Obvious L is dead. L may look like he was at death's door but he was anything but unhealthy. So barring accident (which in unlikely) or suicide (even more unlikely) the only conclusion is that L was murdered.

When? Judging by the call and the fail safe I placed in the computer, L's death was not 'recent'. 48 hours have like passed from date of death to finding out about it. This meant another day or so for Mr Ruvie to contact me. This means L was killed at least three days ago.

Where? If I recall, L was last seen in Japan. The case of the millennium was taking place there according to the papers. The Kira Case.

Who killed L? Japan meant Kira, of course it was Kira, what else could it be? L's security system was tight. I should know; I designed it. No random can just kill L.

If L was killed by Kira, that meant he knew his killer. Therefore Kira is someone he knew, and recently too. Does that narrow it down or make it worse? Most likely worse, L hardly knew anyone. Chances are he slipped up and revealed himself when he really shouldn't have. He was suspicious but never questioned, he always presumed that his intellect would solve the problem before anyone else. Apparently it proved to be his undoing in the end.

Why? A killer kills, it's the nature of the beast. But no, think deeper. Why? I don't know, I'm not Kira. Could L have figured it out? Was L sloppy? Could it be that Kira was something he was not expecting? Was L not thinking things through? Or was he thinking too much? A question to be answered later.

How? Ah, now that is the question; the ultimate question. How did Kira kill him? According to the papers Kira is considered divine. A god made of human flesh.

Fascinating but fanciful. A magician can make an elephant disappear from a room but that does not mean he is a sorcerer. Once you know the method, the magnificence fades. Hence you must keep the method secret. Besides if Kira is truly a God then L would have lasted all of 10 minutes against him.

L lasted a long time. Longer than even I expected, even with Kira in close proximity. This means that although L was foolish in his planning the basic principles of protection still safeguarded his survival.

What would he have done? What did L do?

Never shared his real name. No one knows his real name, only Mr Ruvie, Mr Wammy and L himself.

Maintain semi-professional relationships with those under his command? Most likely.

I should not be too concerned, Near is more intelligent than I am. What I can think of, he can too. If anyone can solve these questions I am sure it is him.

Though as I fiddle with computers and tinker with strings of code my mind wonders at the possibilities. Chances are I will receive a call from Near and soon. Computers are a messy business and security is paramount. He will need someone he can 'trust'. I use the term loosely, in Wammy's House; trust is a concept rarely developed.

All that matters are the answers. Not questions.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, been a while. Hope you like the chapter.

S

'L is dead.'

Talk about a _sobering_ thought.

Why in God's name would anyone call to tell me that? What part of 'I quit' don't they get?

I hung up before they had the chance to ask me to help with whatever the case L was working on when he died. Although my skills have atrophied I know where that conversation was going before it got there. It left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. My day was going so well too.

I remember L tried to shanghai me into helping him out with this extortion deal in China. I told him to go _shove_ it. I don't play the games they play. Probably why my life is considered boring, even by the most mundane of people.

But I have something they don't, what none of my so-called brothers and sisters are even capable of having. I have a darling wife who works as hard as I do. I have two children who cost a fortune in education. I have a mortgage. I have a family. I have happiness.

I'm probably the only one who chose not to embrace the gifts that I was blessed with. Granted even at my best I am a pale imitation of L. Still I was better than most. Graduated from Oxford with a Bachelors and Masters in Mathematics (with Distinction). First preference at MI5, only to immediately turn it down to take up teaching at the Australian National University. Mostly I think I did it to piss the old man Watari off.

Wait…if L had died, so too had Mr Wammy. Those two were thick as thieves. Another sobering thought.

I remember when my son was born. I invited Mr Wammy to his christening, mostly at my wife's insistence, she is sentimental, an endearing trait which I never found at Wammy's House. She said that my eyes grew as large as hen's eggs when I saw a familiar elderly gentlemen walk through the door. Not just him, but many others as well. They were not 'friends', but people whom I spent my childhood with. I never actually felt any connection. Must be the curse of prodigies.

They shook my hand, they smiled, they gave my son a gift; a little stuffed bear. We talked, we drank, and they just left. I always liked to think that Mr Wammy was proud of me for actually choosing to have a future. But I doubt I'll ever know. Although he raised me, the bond we had was more detached than familial. His passing although _saddening_, is not debilitating.

The others; Q, J, C. I think they were suitably impressed, though they never said it out loud. I was the first of the Wammy prodigies to actually have a son. Probably the only one now that I think about it.

Then again I have always had my doubts about Near; he took after L in a lot of ways.

Agh! Stop thinking about that, life is not a puzzle. It is something to be savoured. I am not so romantic as to believe in true love, or that love conquers all.

However, when I first met my wife who was an associate while at ANU I swear my heart skipped a beat. I felt something that I never felt before, whether it was just because I never had the opportunity or because it was discouraged at Wammy's House remains a mystery even to this day.

Now I am teaching young minds the beauty of mathematics, while they themselves are focused on other things like sex and drugs and parties. While it makes for lousy students I find myself envying their actions, such things were drilled out of my head before I even reached puberty.

But despite all the bollocks I know Wammy. I know L. And I know everyone else.

The only reason they would even consider calling me is out of courtesy; a warning if you will.

'_Be careful.'_

And rightly so, if L can be killed then none of us are safe. Maybe I should mull over-No! No. No. No.

I am done with this shit. I am not going to pander to those wackos. If they want to poke and prod into L's death be my guest but I will not walk into the firing line. I have a life and a family and the only people now who know my identity are Mr Ruvie and myself.

I am safe here, I am contained here. I don't have a criminal record and I do not have any identification linking me to Wammy's House or vice versa.

Kira if it is indeed the thing that killed L will have hard time finding me.

However, despite the circumstances I feel a slight pang of sympathy for Kira, whatever it is. I may have quit and left for a more simple life, but most of the Wammy prodigies have not. Kira may have beat L, but now it has a whole alphabet of geniuses out there ready to squash it the moment it raises its head.

There is a part of me that almost wants to pick up the phone and call Mr Ruvie, but I look at a picture of my family sitting on my desk and I scoff.

What kind of man would trade family for glory?

I will watch from the _sidelines_…like everyone else.

And I will be happy with that.


	6. Chapter 6

R

'L is dead.'

I blinked.

I read the memo again.

'L is dead.'

…what.

'_L is dead.'_

God dammit. See, this is why we can't have nice things.

The Wammy prodigies that is.

Short life span and we die in stupid ways. Either we go completely bonkers and commit suicide, we go completely bonkers, or we just die in stupid ways.

I have not been on a case in years. My so called brothers and sisters call it 'a waste'; I call it _real life_.

Mr Wammy accused me of being lazy, but screw him. While I was living in that rat hole, he was gallivanting around the world playing hero using his favourite pet L. He knows nothing about me.

I bided my time of course, but the moment I got a job and a way of securing my livelihood I told him where to go. He's never talked to me since, neither has anyone else and Wammy's. Good riddance.

I only found out by accident. When you are legal counsel for Interpol, things come across your desk. Chances are I am one of the last to find out. Regardless of whether L is truly dead or not then this 'memo' I 'accidently' stumbled across is not as coincidental as I think.

If this memo is bogus then obviously someone is trying to screw with me. Chances are if it is a lie then L is just playing another card up his sleeve. Maybe this Kira person figured out who he is and needs to make for a convenient escape? Possible, but doubtful. Corpses have been showing up belonging to people who should, by no rights, have been found. If they can be found, so too can L. Wammy's Number 1 prodigy is not ignorant enough to ignore that.

So that creates a new possibility. L is indeed gone. If so then who is the one giving orders in Japan? If L is still in Japan then why would I pick up a memo that he is dead? Assuming it is fake then it is reasoned that L did not send this message.

Unless of course the person claiming to be L is not L. In which case this memo is genuine.

But if it is genuine that means… the justice system as we know it has been dealt a serious blow. L may be next to useless in practical applications and most likely starve if left alone for a few days but damn he was good. If he is dead then that means Kira must have got to him. Heck this fake 'L' could be Kira for all I know.

Therefore only one person can get this to me…Near is a crafty little bastard. Yes, now that I think about it if L was die Near would be the one to take over. Creepy kid, kept to himself, smart but not 'L' smart. No one is that clever.

If Near is going to solve the Kira case then most of the leg work will be done for him. L may be a lazy jackass but he was a damn good detective and in a case like Kira he most likely had a way of passing on everything he learned to the albino midget.

So now that the possibility of Near being the new contender, what to do? Well it seems the path is clear; assist from my vague, unseen and unfamiliar position. Which means I have to cover my tracks as of now. L may be a genius and part of that means being able to get others to do the things you need. That is where I came in.

Thierry Morrello and Mary Kenwood are the only links that I assisted L. All documents relating to them have to go. I'll also ensure that nothing relating to the others gets to Japan. I have no doubt that Near will take care of the rest. If he is anything like L he would not leave a fellow colleague out to dry, at least I hope. Also I better take charge of all future memos coming out of Japan and edit them as necessary. If this 'L' wants to play, I'll play too.

I'll set the stage Near, it's time to see if you can dance. Don't make me _regret_ it.

Now I better place this memo in the shredder and clear my desk. It was only a matter of time before a certain albino midget gives me a call…


End file.
